Germany Mozart, Le nozze di Figaro: Soloists and Refrain of the Staatsoper Hamburg. Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Hamburg / Nicholas Carter (conductor). Staatsoper Hamburg, 29.6.2025. (DM-D)
The viewers entered to a full-size projection of the title web page of the rating that includes Mozart’s handwritten phrases Le nozze di Figaro. Because the lights dimmed and the orchestra began taking part in, within the movie by fettFilm that adopted, that entrance web page was eliminated, to disclose Mozart’s rating itself, parallel to the music we heard. Additional sheets of the rating have been eliminated as extra of the rating was revealed. In the end, the stream of music was mirrored by the rating now not revealed by apparently eradicating sheets, however by changing into an limitless move from left to proper. Immediately, the notes on the rating took on lives of their very own, leaving their allotted positions on the staves and forming into the characters of the Depend, hotly pursuing the Countess in chivalrous vogue, whereas she fled, playfully, amorously. The Countess turned from one into many, the Depend turned from a human character right into a single sperm, then many, and now sperm have been pursuing the fleeing girls. They in flip had no probability of escaping and one after the other they have been hit by a sperm and dissolved as people. On the finish of the overture, the projection display was raised to disclose the stage. Christoph Hetzer had designed it as a protracted field, with partitions ceiling and ground coated with sheets of music paper, roughly A2 sized, with staves and notes clearly seen. A few of these sheets fell off the partitions or ceiling, apparently at random, some have been torn off the partitions by the characters. A big mattress was positioned centre stage, initially that of Figaro and Susanna, later that of the Countess. Characters emerged from it as entrances, Cherubino jumped into it and disappeared (as a substitute of leaping by way of a window). On the finish of Act II, in a single second, all remaining sheets fell down directly, revealing the partitions as darkish steel staves, which remained naked till the top of the efficiency.
Gesine Völlm’s costumes have been equally dominated by staves with and with out notes, showing symmetrically or asymmetrically horizontally or vertically as prints onto the costume materials, various in color, primarily black or white. The lighting design by Phoenix (Andreas Hofer) created attention-grabbing subspaces throughout the massive tunnel of staves, each with and with out the music paper.
This overarching framework of movie, set, costume and lighting design was constant, imaginative, witty and intriguing. Inside it, the unique director Stefan Herheim was capable of focus his consideration on the characters and their interplay. The Depend was a likeable macho, real each in his naïve pursuit of ladies and in his regret over the state of his marriage. The Countess was younger, harmless and never opposed to partaking in a minimum of the considered an extramarital affair. Susanna and Figaro have been in sizzling pursuit of one another and others, Marcellina was cheerful certainly at lastly getting Dr Bartolo for good, and Cherubino was all pubescent testosterone and nonetheless unused to it.
The forged revelled of their characterisations. Kartal Karagedik offered a really robust Depend, particularly vocally. Not solely acted however above all sung like that, it was much more plausible that he discovered it simple to seduce girls, they usually discovered themselves drawn to him and desirous to be seduced. On this means, Herheim cleverly highlighted the social criticism inherent within the plot towards the droit du seigneur proper of the primary night time by reversing it. Olga Peretyatko displayed a really quick vibrato because the Countess – it took a second to get used to – however it didn’t distract from the sheer great thing about her voice: contemporary and youthful, silvery, agile, and with many interpolated elaborations in her two arias. Her voice was fairly shut in essence to that of Katharina Konradi’s Susanna. Konradi’s voice was as clear as a bell, with significantly stunning bloom, and with a powerful basis within the decrease vary. Chao Deng’s voice was a lot lighter than that of Karagedik, fairly consistent with the manufacturing’s enhanced emphasis on the Depend. His Figaro was believably all over, got here as shortly as he left, had one thing witty to say about the whole lot and to everybody (his comparatively many and quick arias), making Susanna virtually lower than the standard whirlwind by comparability. Julia Lezhneva was humorous and sang delightfully as Cherubino. Claire Gascoin and Han Kim offered Marcellina and Dr Bartolo as fairly younger to be Figaro’s mother and father (they should have been collectively as youngsters), and their singing was appropriately robust and full of life. Manuel Günther, Peter Galliard and Marie Maidowski gave their small roles as Basilio, Don Curzio and Barbarina individuality, and Keith Klein was very humorous as Antonio. Nicholas Carter carried out a really easy and trendy Le nozze di Figaro.
Daniel Meyer-Dinkgräfe
Featured Picture: Hamburg State Opera’s Le nozze di Figaro (2015) © Karl Forster
Manufacturing:
Director – Stefan Herheim
Revival director – Birgit Kajtna-Wönig
Stage design – Christoph Hetzer
Costume design – Gesine Völlm
Lighting design – Phoenix (Andreas Hofer)
Video – fettFilm (Momme Hinrichs, Torge Müller)
Refrain director – Christian Günther
Dramaturgy – Alexander Meier-Dörzenbach
Solid:
Figaro – Chao Deng
Susanna – Katharina Konradi
Depend Almaviva – Kartal Karagedik
Countess Almaviva – Olga Peretyatko
Cherubino – Julia Lezhneva
Marcellina – Claire Gascoin
Dr Bartolo – Han Kim
Basilio – Manuel Günther
Don Curzio – Peter Galliard
Barbarina – Marie Maidowski
Antonio – Keith Klein
